Opinion: Obama's Fiscal Cliffhanger

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... well ... this ... one ... anyone standing at the edge of a cliff usually stepped back from a ... what Pres Obama is offered Republicans on Thursday suggests that the thrill seekers in Washington would like to stare into the abyss quite a bit longer ... it's ... kind of House Speaker John painter just a little while ago of give a press conference in which she said the talks are going absolutely nowhere with the White House ... here to talk about that with me is the Journal editorial pages Steve Moore I don't Steve ... I that ... well offer all the importance of solving the fiscal cliff and they seem to as Mr. Bader said to be absolutely dead in the water what is the problem ... well you know I ... think and dusty and I've been wrong about this for the last three weeks I've really got Brock Obama wanted a ... negotiated deal with the Republican ticket Khatibi the euro be the bipartisan ... op thousand over the next four years ... he's doing exactly the opposite you know ... what my sources to of been involved in some of these negotiations are saying what ... Brock Obama doesn't wanna deal he wants to surrender ... and that that's not a dozen of the terms that the Republicans are willing to live with ... I actually think the Republicans have reached out the olive branch pretty significantly they said look we're willing to put higher taxes on the table something a lot of conservatives are not happy with but that but Brock Obama wants everything he is one not one a negotiated as we reported yesterday on our editorial page what he's offering is four dollars of new taxes for every dollar of new spending cuts that's not something any rational Republican would go a long way ... yell well it's on so we're back in the summer of twenty eleven when we had the famous ... deficit negotiations then ... the deal terms the deal are roughly the same with the Republicans saying yes will put revenues on the table and a ... the Democrat saying well will take the tax increases and will promise to talk about spending cuts in the future it's hard to see that ... side of the early going anywhere ... actually yes let me correct you on the ... mostly write about but not completely right ... the Republican side talk to say that Democrats have taken off the table what they what they offered a year ago which Republicans rejected darker said the same month that the old world change we won the election ... were were not even offering any of that that I don't make us that we operate your doctors we have a stronger position so ... they are really feeling their oats right now the writing on the five worst and they do believe that they can take their you know take their case the people that comes to January ... edges bully when the Republicans and that's that and I think John Binner said exactly the right thing to think this is not present was serious about reaching an agreement that actually reduces spending even at the races access Dow ... well you know your eye Steve I think we all assumed that in the wake of the election the president did have the upper hand here after all he won but you have to wonder a little bit whether the political dynamics of this thing might be shifting ... when the president did run for the other through the election saying the main thing he won it was to raise those tax rates on the on the wealthiest Americans ... the House Republicans a pretty much conceded that he would get that but so it could be their overplayed their hand here ... gotta love that the Republicans are and a little bit of danger here to the antique as ... if they go in the two thousand thirteen with no deal you know what the media what Brock Obama to say every single day until the Republicans than over which is ... not the reason your face and the higher taxes if Republicans are protecting the rich front ... at this point I'm up almost of of of the body that says Obama doesn't wanna do a deal Republicans may happen to simply agree that ... said you know keep taxes low for everybody who makes less than two and fifty thousand they can very clear to people that I favor of this but to avoid going over this class ... they may have to read that but I think this idea work and get some kind of grand deal with all of these entitlement cuts I don't think any polite but he believes that can happen at this point Steve one last quick question is there any suggestion that with the democratic game here is to disadvantage the Republicans in a way that would be in their minds while the Democrats to take back the policy twenty fourteen ... no matter what color to the economy ... of course that's what this is all about the Democrats care more about one thing in my opinion them than anything else ... getting Republicans to I'd to break their no new taxes pledge tempted by a lot of Grover Norquist to make sure that the Republicans become the party they were in the nineteen fifties and sixties and seventies the tax collectors for the Democrats welfare state ... now okay thanks D I'm afraid you put your finger right on that ... thanks alot but ...